Rupture appliance



Dec. 5, 1939. H.'J. SCHOEBEN RUPTURE APPLIANCE Fild May a, 1937 INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to the treatment of ruptures and includes among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved rupture appliance.

An object of my invention is to provide a rupture appliance in which novel means is employed for changing the contour of the appliance so as to adapt it to variable conditions of service.

Another object is to provide a rupture appliance embodying a novel element of adjustment and in which the adjusting features are housed within the body of the appliance.

A further object is to provide a rupture appliance comprising a rigid, hollow body for housing the adjusting mechanism and in which a resilient pad is detachably connected in a novel manner with the rigid body.

Another object is to provide a rupture appliance in which novel means is employed for supporting the appliance and adjusting the same to various angular positions depending upon the needs of the user.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with certain parts shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 with certain parts shown in elevation.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention I make use of a hollow body member If) of rigid material, which member includes a wall l2 of slight curvature. An adjustable wall part I4 is carried by the body II) and cooperates with the wall I2 to provide a continuous pressure surface against which a resilient pad I6 is positioned. The pad I6 lies against the body of the wearer and may be made of sponge rubber.

The body I6 includes a wall I8 of greater curvature than the wall I6 and arranged in slightly angular relation therewith. Walls I2 and I8 are cast integrally with the side walls 26. Fig. 2 illustrates the wall I8 as being depressed at 22 for the reception of the lip 24 of the pad I6. Side walls 26 are depressed at 26 in the same manner as the wall I8 (see Fig. 3) for receiving the lip 24 which extends inwardly of the pad I6 along the sides of the body It to points indicated generally at 28 in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that the lip 24 is in the nature of a pocket within which the nose 36 of the body In is positioned.

To the inner face of the pad I6 I connect a pressure element 32 in the nature of a spherical segment which may be formed of hard rubber. The pressure element may be vulcanized to the pad I6 and carries the socket portion 34 of a conventional snap fastener. The head portion 36 of the snap fastener is fixedly connected with the wall I4 and cooperates with the socket portion 34 for detachably connecting the pad I6 with the body Hi. In connecting the resilient pad with the body It the nose 30 is inserted underneath the lip 24, and the pad is stretched slightly. With the sections 34 and 36 connected, the pad It will be firmly connected with the body I0.

It is important that a rupture appliance be so designed as to satisfy variable conditions. An appliance of a given shape may answer certain conditions, but so far as I am aware no rupture appliance has been devised in which the configuration may be precisely adjusted to meet specific and varying physical conditions. With this end in view I provide adjustment for the wall part I4 so that the configuration of the pad I6 may be changed to precisely accommodate the appliance to the physical conditions of the wearer. Wall I8 and the side walls 26 terminate in an end wall 38, and the wall part I4 carries a flange 40 which fits inside the flange 38. The wall part I4 includes side flanges 42 which fit inside the side walls 26. Side walls 20 carry a shaft 44 upon which the wall part I4 is pivotally connected. Wall part I4 is enlarged at 46 and provided with a bore 48 which loosely receives the shaft 44 which, in turn, has its ends riveted at 50 to pre vent endwise shifting. Two spaced lugs 52 are formed integrally with the wall part I4 and are provided with aligned openings 54 within which a shaft 56 is rotatably mounted. This shaft is provided with a threaded bore 58 having threaded relation with a screw 66. Screw 66 includes a reach 62 of larger diameter than the screw, which reach is rotatablysupported within the bore 64 in the lug 66 cast integrally with the wall I8. The body In is recessed at 68 for housing the head II! of the screw to bring the head within the contour of the body. A set screw I2 has threaded relation with the lug 66 and has its inner end tapered to lie within the groove '14 in the reach 62. Head Ill and set screw 12 are slotted for the reception of a screw driver.

Set screw it prevents longitudinal shifting of the screw 60, but the screw may be rotated when the set. screw 12 is loosened slightly. Rotation of the screw 60 imparts pivotal movement to the floor part I4, which movement changes the configuration of the pad I6, as illustrated in dotted lines, in Fig. 2. The adjustable feature perunits the pad to be changed to different shapes, and the mechanism is housed within the body l0 so as to eliminate projections extending beyond the contour of the appliance.

For mounting purposes I provide the wall l8 with two headed pins 16. These heads are fixedly connected with the wall I8. Upon the wall it I position a leather sheet 18 which extends beyond the contour of the body II), as illustrated in Fig. 1. Leather sheet 18 is provided with a plurality of openings 80 which openings may be arranged in groups 82, 84, and 86. The openings 89 are sufiiciently large to permit the headed pins IE to be pressed through the openings, and the groups 82, 84, and 86 are so arranged as to permit the leather sheet to be shifted to different positions upon the body l0. Because of such adjustment, the unit l0 may be properly located. Thus, the adjustable leather sheet 18 cooperates with the adjustable floor part M in such a manner as to lend comfort to the user as well as precise adjustment for configuration and position.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that others may,

by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

A rupture appliance comprising a hollow rigid unit including a pressure wall defining a portion of one side of the unit, a pressure plate pivotally connected with the unit cooperating with said pressure wall to complete the said one side of the unit, a resilient pad extending across the pressure wall and the pressure plate, a rigid projection of gentle curvature positioned between the pressure plate and the resilient pad for distorting the latter, said rigid projection being fixedly connected with the resilient pad, a separable connection between the rigid projection and the pressure plate, said resilient pad being provided with a pocket at one end for receiving one end of said unit, said separable connection being so constructed and arranged as to hold the said one end of the unit inside said pocket, and screw means housed inside the unit and operatively connected with the pressure plate for adjusting the same about its pivotal axis relatively to the pressure wall. I

HENRY J. SCHOEBEN. 

